Even nestled amongst the cluttered commercial real estate lining Queens Boulevard it’s hard to miss
Play. Big, canary yellow and blazing its name into the night in ten foot silver letters it’s clearly out to be noticed. Of course this is Elmhurst and while hanging a tiny sign on a gate that says
Toy Factory might draw a crowd in the Lower East Side, here you need to make a statement to get noticed, and
Play definitely makes a statement.
Not content to be just a lounge, a bar, a club, a pool hall, or a bowling alley
Play is each of these. Weighing in at over ten thousand square feet, there’s more than enough space for it all, including seventeen pool tables, four bowling lanes, a smoker’s lounge, a bar, and a dance floor. Each of these spaces represents a distinct social microcosm. There are dates out shooting pool, singles pressed against each other at the bar, and groups of friends bowling. But throughout the vibe is so low key and resolutely friendly that it can be disarming for a ranging Manhattanite. People come here to have fun, they come here to play, and that alone is reason enough to make the trip.